Old habits die hard
by patience12
Summary: Katie 5 years after roundview. She never got her fairy tale ending. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Old habits die hard

**This is my first fic after years reading , any constructive criticism would be great.**

**Hope you enjoy, review maybe?**

**_I don't own skins_**

It's bleak, grey days like these that remind her every breath is a step towards death. Monotonous days drag by, and drug fuelled nights have lost their appeal. Everyone is gone, except her. Upwards, outwards and away from Bristol, and they never come back. She never thought about leaving, never quite thought enough about her future. She never really cared enough, about anything, through her teenage years. She never really recovered, or sorted her life out, after college. She just gave up, now she was cold, bitter and unappreciative of the world around her. Time had already run out for her. It is days like these she misses her the most, not that she knows why. A fleeting glimpse of a slightly too short dress, or long brown hair, throws her back 5 years, only for reality to come unceremoniously come crashing down on her. Her life had lost all meaning, a small group of 'friends', a dingy 1 bedroom flat, a dead end job and nothing even close to love in her life. Once upon a time she had it all, the world at her feet, but now she doesn't live in a fairy tale, and she struggles to make it through the day. Never would anyone that knew her way back when, envision this to be the life of a 23 year old Katie Fitch.

Friday, she had been blessed enough to be allocated this her weekly day off. She actually would have preferred Wednesday, but seen as this particular allocation had made her the envy of the other low ranking employees at the recruitment company she worked, she decided to keep it. Today was the highlight of her week, the day she remembered someone else in the world cared about her, and wanted to spend time with her. She check the clock above the T.V, and sparked the half burnt spliff in her hand, twenty more minutes, then it was twin time as Emily called it. Katie lived for this hour or so every week where she could speak to her sister, and more often than not Naomi. Since they had moved to the other side of the world to study, Katie's life had pretty much dried up. No one realised she need Emily much more than Emily ever needed her. Smoke from the spliff is filling the room, and stupid thoughts are filling her mind, she is laughing to herself in a stoned daze, when a ringing pulls her back to reality. As quick as she can, she leaps up and runs to her laptop, to answer the skype call. Emily's face fills the screen, and Katie's smile is close to breaking her face . She talks with Emily and Naomi for over an hour, asking how life is over the pond, and them in turn asking about her work, and family. Katie lives for this hour a week where she isn't so alone. When it's time to go, and she knows there is another week between she can feel alive again, she hits rock bottom. As always she thinks fuck it, strolls to the kitchen to grab a bottle of vodka, and slowly begins her descent into drunken oblivion.

Eviction notice. That's what is stuck to the front door on her arrival home from work Wednesday. The letter sticking out of her letter box explains how her landlord has all his assets repossessed, included her flat. She has 1 week to move out, not knowing what to do she avoids the whole situation, and get off her tits, as usual. She sees the ad for a roommate in the local post office window the next day, she didn't even know people still posted stuff in the window. This loser obviously hadn't heard of the internet, she calls the number on the advert. A woman answers after the third ring, and a viewing is arranged for the following afternoon, Katie can't help that think something isn't right. A niggling doubt is causing her more trouble then she would usually allow. She can't put her problem out of her mind as she so usually does, so she silences the troubles the only way she knows how. Massive black sunglasses cover Katie's eyes, shielding them from the onslaught of actual sunlight that she knows in her hung over state she would not be able to handle. She is currently walking towards the address the woman on the phone had given her, but every step is willing her mind to take her back to her grotty little flat and drink it all away. Instead she stops in a newsagents and buys some cigarettes, she sits on a bench near the address and chain smokes until she feels brave enough to knock the door. Four cigarettes later, she decides' what is the worst that could happen', and rises from the bench. She presses button number 3 on the intercom at the door to the modern looking block of flats, she is surprised when no voice comes through the speaker just a long buzzing noise indicating the door is open. She purposely takes her time climbing up the stairs, her aniexty growing with every step she ascends. Her destination however is inevitable, and in no time at all she reaches the door to number 3 Sunningdale Court. Fear is building from deep within Katie, and the opportunity to run is so appealing at this point in time. A deep breath later, and a firm self-reminder she is 'Katie Fucking Fitch', she raises her hand to knock on the door. Any fear Katie was feeling in the few seconds before the door was slowly opened could not of prepared her for what lay on the inside the flat. A tall, brunette wearing a beautifully dangerous smile, leant against the door frame. "Took your time, Katie"


	2. Chapter 2

Old habits die hard - Chapter 2

**This story is totally disregarding skins fire btw, because I think it's best for everyone that we pretend that never happened.**

**Any reviews, criticism or writing tip would be much appreciated. :)**

**All mistakes are my own, I don't own skins**

Katies POV

Effy fucking Stonem. Bitch. She knew it was me coming to view the apartment, of course she did it's Effy, the all-seeing psycho. So I'm standing at her front door mouth wide open, and my head telling me to run but I physically cannot move my feet. I'm frozen and speechless. I can hear her calling me over and over again but it doesn't register in my mind. Finally I regain control of my legs, I stutter out a quick "gotta go" run down the stairs and straight out the door. I only stop running when my legs can't take me any further and every breath is hurting my lungs.

The last five years I found comfort in the fact that at least Effy would be as fucked up as me, or even more considering all the shit that had happened. My mind is swimming with thoughts of the only person I thought understood me, who I shared an honest connection with, the girl who hit me in the head with a rock. What she didn't know is that not only did she break the skin with that rock, she broke my heart. Apart from Thomas, Effy was the only person to see past the over confidence and arrogance that was teenage Katie Fitch, see never took me for face value. All the shit with Freddie and our on-going rivalry was all in my head, I created the atmosphere between us to stop myself from falling for Effy, just like everyone else. Still I had my dream of a fairy tale ending to keep me going even though I'd lost my reputation, and Emily. When I had my pregnancy scare I was excited, even if it was with Sam, our kid would have been a dwarf but I would have found my purpose in life. After the doctor explained my situation I felt I had been handed a death sentence, being a wife and mother was the only vision I had for my future. That's when it started I was cold, angry and disappointed with the world, I started to forget the consequences and live in the moment. First I smacked that bitch at the hen night I was hosting for my mum's business, effectively shutting it down. When Effy came to find me I could see the happiness radiating off her, for weeks afterwards I wondered how I ever came to be more fucked up than the nut job herself. She is the finally the friend I wanted her to be from the first time I met her, underneath all appearances I was desperate for a real friend. She made me see things in a different light, and then after her break down, after everything with Freddie and her shrink, she left. Once again I was left to fend for myself, and I couldn't cope, I started smoking heavily because it was a distraction, and it was her that taught me, and somehow that made it even more comforting.

I skipped work today, ringing my boss and feeding him some bullshit about a sickness bug. The truth being I had run into the nearest bar straight after the encounter with Effy got horribly fucked up and shagged a stranger in the toilets. Avoidance is my coping strategy, I'm running out of time to find somewhere new to live , but I can't seem to get it together enough to care. I'm lying on the sofa, staring at the ceiling and smoking a spliff, I ran out vodka about an hour ago and weed was the next best thing to remove my mind from the shitty situation I was in. Usually being high works for me, I can see why Freddie was always smoking; it allows you to distance yourself from reality without horrible repercussions. Looking at the peeling paint flaking off above me I couldn't get the meeting with Effy out of my head; spliff couldn't solve my problems today. I needed something stronger.

I knew I'd end up bumping into her, it was inevitable. All the times I have wished she was around, when she finally showed up I was scared, I didn't want anyone to see what my life had become. I never got over worrying about what people think I consumed my life people's opinion of me, in college it was my appearance, which I still spent hours on. Now it's someone finding out how depressing my life was, how the great Katie Fitch had never been strong enough to get out of a slump in her life. It was that night in a bar that Effy found me, I was sitting with a group of guys laughing and flirting, and draining their wallets for drinks. I was in the process of getting drunk enough to sleep with the least ugly of the group, when Effy slid in to the seat next to me and told the blokes, with a smile, to fuck off.

"Haven't changed much then Katie? Still got the male population at your feet?" I couldn't work out if this was Effy trying to lighten the mood, or a sly dig which everyone had come to associate with the brunette. The bitch rose up out of me before I could stop it; I was on autopilot, and didn't want to Effy to see how weak I really am. "What do you want Effy? Just fuck off back to whatever crack house you crawled out of, yeah?" Obviously Effy hadn't lost her omniscient nature over the last five years, "Definitely no change then, in more ways than one if I'm right" Shit she knows, she has seen the life I live and she is here to gloat about all the success she has had, to compare herself to me when she had more reason to be in the state I am now, and I'm the one who was mental while she was free. I finally give in and just ask her I a defeated sigh "What is it you want, Ef?". She looks at me as if she is staring through my soul, gives me the third genuine smile I'd ever seen her give in the time I have known her, and grabs my hand, pulling me off the seat and out of the bar.


End file.
